We have the feeling that Lincoln is heading in the right direction. After selling mile-long luxobarges for decades, Ford's luxury brand is now producing vehicles that are better suited to today's reality, but it also had to change how people perceived them. If Cadillac succeeded in attracting a younger, techno-minded clientele, Lincoln can.
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| The MKZ will please both young professionals and older luxury sedan buyers alike. |
And they're doing it right now.
The Town Car is now reserved only for fleets, the
Mark LT pickup is discontinued, and the Navigator is selling at a snail's pace. That's good, because they all seem to represent the 'old' Lincoln. The 'new' Lincoln is offering the MKX and
MKT crossovers, the
MKS sedan, and the MKZ sedan that we're driving right now.
Unextreme makeoverFor 2010, the MKZ gets new front and rear fascias, including what is now the corporate face of Lincoln, the waterfall grille that was first shown on the
MKR Concept at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show. The taillights are slimmer and stretch a little further towards the centre of the trunklid.
Although it's not a major redesign compared with previous model years, including the first year of production under the name Zephyr, it will keep the car looking up-to-date for a while. We really like the overall shape and size of the MKZ; not too big, not too small, not too dull, not too extroverted.
Rapid transitThe 3.5-litre V6 that equips every MKZ develops 263 horsepower and 249 lb-ft of torque. That's plenty of muscle to get the AWD version up to 100 km/h in 7.3 seconds, and the 6-speed automatic does a good job of keeping fuel economy low on the highway; our average of 10.3 L/100 km is not bad at all.
Dynamically, the MKZ is tuned for comfort, but it doesn't mean it can't hang on when the going gets rough. The car's highway ride is especially pleasant, and on country roads, the car feels reassuringly agile despite its 3,800-lb (1,724-kg) curb weight suggests.
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| The 3.5-litre V6 that equips every MKZ develops 263 horsepower and 249 lb-ft of torque. |
Sumptuous cabinInside, the Lincoln gets superb leather seats and quality materials. The instrument panel is also new, and the speedometer has been centered. The dashboard boasts a more modern design and the navigation system's screen has been relocated higher up on the center stack. The climate control buttons are still small and low on the dash, though, and pressing on the right one while keeping your eyes on the road ahead is a challenge.
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| Inside, the Lincoln gets superb leather seats and quality materials. |
Fit and finish is in constant improvement, and has nothing to be ashamed of when compared side-by-side with the competition's interior furnishings. The car is very quiet at speed, and as mentioned in previous Ford and Lincoln reviews, SYNC excels at connecting your cell phone and understanding voice commands.
The Sport Appearance Package is worth the extra dough for what it adds inside the car; it includes heated and cooled seats with 10-way power adjustments, contrast accents on the seats and takes the wood trim off the steering wheel. Mechanically, it also adds 18-inch wheels, a sportier suspension as well as grille and headlight blackout trim.
CompetitionThe 2010 Lincoln MKZ has a base price of $38,399, while the AWD version starts at $42,199. Our test car is also equipped with the aforementioned $1,500 Sport Appearance Package, the $4,000 Vision Package (navigation system with hard disk drive, rear view camera and blind-spot monitor), the $300 remote starter, the $1,600 power sunroof, the $80 block heater and the $500 tri-coat white paint. Total: $50,179.
The competition lines up as follows:Acura TL SH-AWD, 280 hp, $44,490
Audi A4 3.2 FSI quattro, 265 hp, $50,900
BMW 328i xDrive, 230 hp, $42,500
Cadillac CTS4 SFI, 263 hp, $44,810
Hyundai Genesis 3.8, 290 hp, $37,995
Infiniti G37x, 328 hp, $41,300
Lexus ES 350, 272 hp, $39,950
Mercedes-Benz C350 4MATIC, 268 hp, $50,400
Nissan Maxima 3.5 SV, 290 hp, $38,700
Saab 9-3 Aero XWD, 280 hp, $47,270
Subaru Legacy 2.5GT spec.B, 243 hp, $41,995
Volkswagen Passat CC V6 4MOTION Highline, 280 hp, $44,975
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| The 2010 Lincoln MKZ has a base price of $37,899, while the AWD version starts at $41,699. |
In this group, only the Hyundai, the Lexus and the Nissan aren't available with all-wheel drive. Personally, though, for the MKZ I'd settle for the front-drive version, skip some options and end up with an invoice under 40 grand.
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| The 'new' Lincoln is offering the MKX and MKT crossovers, the MKS sedan, and the MKZ sedan that we're driving right now. |
ConclusionThe MKZ will please both young professionals and older luxury sedan buyers alike. And I now realize that I'm drooling over a car from a company that used to produce stale and sloppy land yachts.
That means one of two things: either I'm getting really really old, or Lincoln is reaching out to a crowd that appreciates luxury, comfort, technology and sportiness all in one package. Come to think of it, I'm not really that old yet.
photo:Matthieu Lambert
